Jonathan Brunt

The race between incumbent Democratic state Rep. Timm Ormsby and his Republican opponent, Dave White, gives voters a clear choice along party lines. Dave White, a Spokane County public works inspector, says his priority is to lower taxes and regulations. Businesses are struggling in the current economy, he said.

Watch Billig, McLaughlin make their pitch

The 6th Legislative District, which has set campaign spending records in previous years, is unusually tame this time around. There’s just one contested race on the November ballot in the heavily competitive district. No one opted to challenge Republican state Rep. Kevin Parker, who holds the other House position, and the Senate seat won’t be on the ballot again until 2014.

McMorris Rodgers, Cowan debate for first time

West Central store owners who feared they’d no longer be able to sell high-octane beer have gotten a reprieve. The Spokane City Council on Monday voted 4-3 to eliminate the Alcohol Impact Area it created less than a year ago at the request of the West Central Neighborhood Council.

Spokane Mayor David Condon got right to the point in his required address regarding the city’s “conditions and affairs.” “Our conditions are stable in a time of financial uncertainty,” he said Monday night in the second sentence of the speech, which is required annually by the City Charter.

Spokane Mayor David Condon is close to making his first deal with a public safety union. The Spokane City Council voted 5-2 on Monday to accept a four-year contract with the Spokane Firefighters Union.

Spokane Mayor David Condon is continuing on the path of change and reorganization at City Hall. This week, the city’s arts director, the last remaining employee in Spokane’s consumer protection department, and a longtime administrator intimately involved in the creation and operation of the city’s trash incinerator were told they would lose their jobs by the end of the year.

Eight months after the Spokane City Council rejected a firefighters labor contract negotiated by the last mayor, the new mayor has agreed to nearly the same terms. City officials say the deal announced Thursday will increase the city’s costs next year by $1.3 million, and Mayor David Condon says cuts within the Fire Department will pay for them. City spokeswoman Marlene Feist said it’s unclear yet if firefighters will be laid off.

State Rep. Joel Kretz isn’t a Republican you would expect to see challenged for his seat by another Republican. He’s ranked highly by state business groups that generally lean Republican and he’s the party’s deputy minority leader in the House.

Supporters of the $65 million project expanding the Spokane Convention Center and Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena used bold print and an exclamation point for one of their main selling points: “It does not raise or create any new taxes!” The statement and five similar no-new-tax pledges were made in a political ad mailed to thousands of Spokane households leading to an April vote approving the extension of sales and lodging taxes from 2033 to 2043 to pay for the construction.

Last year, Spokane’s West Central Neighborhood Council wanted restrictions on the sale of high-octane beer. Now it doesn’t.

GOP comes to McLaughlin's aid after campaign misstep

The company that owns Anthony’s restaurant in downtown Spokane has submitted the highest bid to buy the city-owned building the restaurant occupies overlooking Spokane Falls. But some Spokane City Council members say they remain open to considering the only other bid the city received for the land, a proposal from Lawrence B. Stone, who owns Spokane-based silo and steel stud manufacturer SCAFCO.

The company that owns Anthony’s restaurant on the north bank of the Spokane River along Spokane Falls has won the bidding to buy the building it’s in from the city of Spokane.

Council will consider repeal of beer restrictions

It will be harder next year to qualify for tax subsidies to build apartments and condos in Spokane. The Spokane City Council on Monday reauthorized Spokane’s multifamily tax exemption for another five years. The decision significantly reduced the areas that will qualify for the subsidy and set lower limits to qualify for bonus exemptions when building affordable housing for rent.

Spokane shrinks tax subsidy area

McMorris Rodgers backed national park at Hanford